If at first you don't see the chafing...

...a hot shower will certainly let you know where it is...

21 miler: Those of us training for the Chicago Marathon (or one close to that date) ran our 21 miler on Saturday. I must say, I bounced back rather nicely from my 18 miler a couple of weeks ago, as I was hoping I would. I really needed a solid very long run. I wanted to run this as close to how I would run the marathon as far as strategy, mental focus, and hydration/carb intake. Pace-wise, I was not planning to run at my goal marathon pace. That's not what these training runs are for. However, I did want to finish in 3:15. That would put me at roughly a 9:15 per mile average. That would be just fine with me.

We started off at a reasonable pace and kept the first few miles over a 9 minute pace. I really zoned and didn't talk much to the runners around me, mainly because my family received some concerning news about my Mom (see below) on Friday afternoon, and my mind was occupied with that. By the time we hit the first water stop at around 5-6 miles, I didn't want to stop, to lose my momentum, so I walked for about 30 seconds (like I would at a water stop during the marathon) and then our group was on our way to Rice University.

We will still feeling good and strong during our trek around Rice and Hermann Park, and I knew I was having a good, smart run, and just wanted to keep it up. I think something that helped me was taking a caffiene pill half way through the run. That really seemed to give me an extra boost when I knew I would probably start getting tired. It was still pretty humid out even though the temps were cooler, and humidity gets me, and most runners, almost every time. And, I took my Gu and Electolyte tabs at regular intervals, just as I have always done.

When we reached the final water stop, my running buddy Jennifer and I stopped to use the facilities (and I stopped my watch), and upon her suggestion, we decided to try to run the final five miles at an 8:45 pace. I said, let's go for it and see what happens. What happened was our last five miles were well under an 8:45 pace, and our final mile clocked in at 8:08. Holy crap! To feel that strong at the end of such a long run was awesome, a real confidence booster for us both. We ended up finishing in 3:09+, which is a 9:01 average pace.

And strangely enough, I was not sore at all, and still am not for the most part, except a little soreness in my right quad. Believe me, I have seared into my mind what I did right during the run and hope to apply it in Chicago. Now on to tapering!!

A&M Football: What was shaping up to be a blow-out (by A&M standards) got a little too close for comfort in the end, but we managed to pull off the win and are 2-0. For a team that is playing mostly freshman, we look good and should be really good in a couple of years.

We left the game a little early to beat the traffic (plus it was a ridiculously long game and we were all tired), and listened to the final few minutes on the radio. I'm convinced the announcers were drunk. First, one asked the other "He has to get into the end zone for a touchdown, right?" Then, in the stressful final minutes, they went to their sideline reporter. We thought we were going to get an update on strategy or injuries or something, but no...we got a report that at the 15 yard line, there must have been about 1000 crickets on the field. Yes, there was a cricket plague in Bryan/College Station this weekend, and they were EVERYWHERE, but really, when the game is potentially on the line and the Aggies are potentially pissing away a victory, a cricket report is not the most informative sideline update.

Mom update: She has to have more surgery tomorrow (Tuesday) here in Houston. Not cancer but not the best of news either. Its going to be a risky and lifestyle-affecting surgery, and we are all very concerned, and shocked, since it was only on Friday we found out about this. Thoughts, prayers, meditations, chants, whatever is your fancy, are certainly appreciated!